1948
Married: Nancy Baker
Children: John, Mitzi Pigg, Paul
7 Grandchildren
Dr. Cliff Ricketts, the son of Hall and Louise Ricketts, was raised on a dairy farm in Mt. Juliet. He is a graduate of Mt Juliet High School. He attended Middle Tennessee State before transferring to the University of Tennessee where ihe received a BS degree in Agricultural Education. While teaching agriculture at Mt. Juliet High School, he got a Master’s Degree from the University of Tennessee in Education Administration and Supervision. He received his PhD in Agricultural Education from The Ohio State University in 1982. He has been a Professor of Agricultural Education at the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience at Middle Tennessee State University for 37 years.
His distinguished academic career has focused on alternative fuels for the future and exemplary work with students that have a desire to teach Agricultural Education at the secondary education level. Dr. Ricketts’ commitment to students is exemplary. Ricketts developed the first dual-credit grant in the State of Tennessee to allow high school students to receive college credit for courses through MTSU while attending high school. He continues to mentor MTSU students who have followed in his footsteps. Many of his former undergraduate students have obtained their Ph.D. in various agriculture-related programs. He s continues to serves as advisor to the MTSU Collegiate Future Farmers of America.
He has run engines off ethanol from corn, methane from cow manure, soybean oil, solar electric, hydrogen from water, natural gas, and developed a vehicle that runs of four different fuels: gas, ethanol, electric and hydrogen from water. He is internationally known for his alternative fuel research. He and his team went coast to coast on only sun and hydrogen in March 2013
Dr. Ricketts has received many awards and accolades over the years of his distinguished teaching career include 6 Outstanding Agricultural Eduction Teacher awards, MTSU Outstanding Teacher Award, 2 Alpha Gamma Rho Agriculture Teacher of the Year awards, MTSY Outstanding Public Service Award, MTSU Career Achievement Award and The Silver Column Award. He also received the FFA Blue and Gold Award, the Meritorious Teacher Award from NCATA, was named Top Agricultural Education Program in the Southeastern United Stated by the American Association of Agricultural Educators, the Bob Womack Outstanding Teacher Award in 2003 and is one of only seven to have received the National FFA VIP Award.
In 2006 Dr.Ricketts was selected as one of the top six Agricultural Technology Instruction Programs in the nation by the National Association of the State Departments of Agriculture and R. J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. Dr. Ricketts has written over 27 curriculum guides for Agricultural Education, Division of Career-Technical Education, and State of Tennessee. He has written six textbooks, including texts for Delmar-Thomson Learning on leadership, and two textbooks on Agribusiness all printed in English, Chinese, and Spanish. He has made approximately 1,000 presentations throughout the state and nationally on the topics of Leadership and Alternative Fuels in his 37 years at MTSU. He has partnerships with Tractor Supply Company. TVA, Bridgestone/Firestone Tire, Valspar Paints and HyPower Fuel of Calgary, Canada. Dr. Ricketts has received several hundred thousdand dollars in grants during his 37 year tenure at Middle Tennessee State University.
Dr. Ricketts is still active farming with his 60 herd Cow Calf Operation on his 200 acre farm in Mt. Juliet as well as at MTSU still preparing future agricultural education teachers and working on a couple more alternative fuels to help America become engine independent in the future.
Dr. Ricketts has one brother, Johnnie Ricketts, who has had a cow/calf operation for several years. The oldest son, John, is an Agricultural Education Professor at Tennessee State University. His daughter, Mitzi Ricketts Pigg, is an Agricultural Education teacher at Mt. Juliet High School. His youngest son, Paul, has a cow/calf operation on the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky and works at the Lexington Sale Barn. His wife, Dr. Kris Ricketts, teaches at the University of Kentucky in Agricultural Leadership.
He began the Agricultural Education Program at MTSU. He taught for 6 years at Mt .Juliet High School. Among other accomplishments, his FFA Parliamentary Procedure Team won the State Championship, his chapter was the top FFA Chapter in Middle Tennessee, and his program was selected as the top program in the Southeastern United States. He attended graduate school at UTK where he received his Master’s Degree in Education Administration and Supervision. Dr. Ricketts has been on the faculty of the MTSU for 37 years as a
Professor of Agricultural Education in the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience and He received his PhD in Agricultural Education from The Ohio State University in 1982.
His distinguished academic career has focused on alternative fuels for the future and exemplary work with students that have a desire to teach Agricultural Education at the secondary education level. Dr. Ricketts’ commitment to students is exemplary. Ricketts developed the first dual-credit grant in the State of Tennessee to allow high school students to receive college credit for courses through MTSU while attending high school. He continues to mentor MTSU students who have followed in his footsteps. Many of his former undergraduate students have obtained their Ph.D. in various agriculture-related programs. He s continues to serves as advisor to the MTSU Collegiate Future Farmers of America.
He has run engines off ethanol from corn, methane from cow manure, soybean oil, solar electric, hydrogen from water, natural gas, and developed a vehicle that runs of four different fuels: gas, ethanol, electric and hydrogen from water. He is internationally known for his alternative fuel research. He and his team went coast to coast on only sun and hydrogen in March 2013
Dr. Ricketts has received many awards and accolades over the years of his distinguished teaching career include 6 Outstanding Agricultural Eduction Teacher awards, MTSU Outstanding Teacher Award, 2 Alpha Gamma Rho Agriculture Teacher of the Year awards, MTSY Outstanding Public Service Award, MTSU Career Achievement Award and The Silver Column Award. He also received the FFA Blue and Gold Award, the Meritorious Teacher Award from NCATA, was named Top Agricultural Education Program in the Southeastern United Stated by the American Association of Agricultural Educators, the Bob Womack Outstanding Teacher Award in 2003 and is one of only seven to have received the National FFA VIP Award.
In 2006 Dr. Ricketts was selected as one of the top six Agricultural Technology Instruction Programs in the nation by the National Association of the State Departments of Agriculture and R. J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. Dr. Ricketts has written over 27 curriculum guides for Agricultural Education, Division of Career-Technical Education, and State of Tennessee. He has written six textbooks, including texts for Delmar-Thomson Learning on leadership, and two textbooks on Agribusiness all printed in English, Chinese, and Spanish. He has made approximately 1,000 presentations throughout the state and nationally on the topics of Leadership and Alternative Fuels in his 37 years at MTSU. He has partnerships with Tractor Supply Company. TVA, Bridgestone/Firestone Tire, Valspar Paints and HyPower Fuel of Calgary, Canada. Dr. Ricketts has received several hundred thousdand dollars in grants during his 37 year tenure at Middle Tennessee State University.
Dr. Ricketts is still active farming with his 60 herd Cow Calf Operation on his 200 acre farm in Mt. Juliet as well as at MTSU still preparing future agricultural education teachers and working on a couple more alternative fuels to help America become engine independent in the future.
Dr. Ricketts has one brother, Johnnie Ricketts, who has had a cow/calf operation for several years. The oldest son, John, is an Agricultural Education Professor at Tennessee State University. His daughter, Mitzi Ricketts Pigg, is an Agricultural Education teacher at Mt. Juliet High School. His youngest son, Paul, has a cow/calf operation on the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky and works at the Lexington Sale Barn. His wife, Dr. Kris Ricketts, teaches at the University of Kentucky in Agricultural Leadership.
